Asthma - What Is It? - Health Tips

Asthma is a chronic lung condition of inflamed and narrow airways. Symptoms can include:

• Coughing, often worse at night and sometimes interfering with sleep.
• Shortness of breath, possibly feeling like you can’t catch your breath or can’t get air out of your lungs.
• Chest tightness, which may feel like something squeezing your chest.
• Wheezing, a whistling or squeaky sound that occurs with breathing, more often with exhaling.

In our office we do a breathing test (spirometry) to assess your lung function. This can tell us if you have asthma and what type of treatment may be best for you. Half of all asthma is believed to be caused by allergies, which is why we often test for allergies in our patients with breathing difficulties. Asthma symptoms can also be aggravated by viral and bacterial infections, which is why it is helpful to support your immune system in staying healthy.

Sometimes asthma symptoms can be a mere annoyance, other times they can be severe and even life-threatening. It is essential to detect and treat symptoms early so that they don’t become severe. The current federal guidelines recommend getting regular check ups of your lung function at least every 6 months for asthma, though you may need to come in more frequently if your symptoms are out of control.

Asthma treatments often include albuterol or inhaled corticosteroids. Many of our patients with allergic asthma also benefit from allergy shots or biologic injection medications.

There is currently no cure for asthma. Even when you feel fine, the asthma is still present and can flare up at anytime. We can help you breathe more easily, maintain healthy lung function, and manage asthma flares.

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that causes inflammation in the airways and difficulty breathing. Roughly 1 in 12 people suffer from asthma, and it is the third top cause of hospitalizations amongst children.

Wheezing, chronic coughs, shortness of breath and more are normal signs of asthma. Many people don’t realize that there are hidden signs of asthma to be aware of. Less than half of people are aware that trouble sleeping and chest pain are signs of asthma in adults.

One in 20 adults is diagnosed with asthma each year. You do not need all the symptoms or even the typical symptoms to have asthma. Many adults do not get checked because they do not realize that something as normal as lack of sleep can be caused by something as treatable as asthma.

Results from a recent survey show that out of 1,000 adults (18 years and older), 89% new that shortness of breath is a sign of asthma, and 85% new that wheezing is another sign (WebMD). Only 65% knew that a chronic cough was a sign of asthma, and only half knew that difficulty sleeping and chest pain were signs related to asthma.

Asthma is a serious condition that people should be aware of, especially if diagnosed with it. The first step is to get tested and the next important thing to do is create an action plan with your physician. Being prepared for asthma is important, including taking any daily medication prescribed, as well as always carrying your rescue inhaler. There are many things that can flare up asthma, so it’s important to always be prepared. You do not need to suffer from asthma!

I feel very strongly that for many people, asthma attacks are caused by underlying allergies and therefore are completely preventable. About 90 percent of asthma in children—and about 50 to 60 percent of adults—is caused by underlying allergies that contribute to their asthma attacks. Studies have shown that most children who have to go to the emergency room for an asthma attack have allergies—often undetected allergies to dust, pet dander, mold and even to foods.

What you can do

To reduce asthma attacks, diagnose for potential allergies, reduce your exposure to these allergens, or be treated with an effective allergy remedy such as allergy drops to build up a tolerance to the allergens. When I treat my patients with drops, I see a dramatic decrease in the amount of medication they use, including asthma inhalder and beta agonists like albuterol (Ventolin).

We use a simple blood test to determine exactly what you are allergic to, and prescribe the right formula of drops for you. Contact us today and get treated the easy, convenient, effective and painless way.